A simple, social media checklist for your firm
The latest marketing techniques in this digital age include live video streaming, micro influencers, content marketing and personalised consumer experiences. As many of these marketing trends are live on social media, that’s where your firm also needs to be.
In the last decade, we’ve witnessed the meteoric rise of social media. Platforms designed to connect family and friends have become one of the most effective marketing tools. Social media is now necessary for the survival of many businesses that wish to remain competitive and profitable.
Choose the right channels and use them correctly
You need to go where your target market is, to engage online. In professional services, your potential clients are likely most active on channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and / or Instagram. But before you dive in, it’s important to know what each of these platforms can do for your firm.
LinkedIn is ideal for networking, helping you build a community and generate leads. Use Twitter to start or participate in conversations related to current industry news. Facebook, while image-friendly, is a great place to promote your blog content, interesting industry-related posts and videos. And because Instagram is image-heavy, leverage it to post photos that show your firm’s culture, humanise your practice, or tell a visual story of the type of service you deliver.
Here is a checklist of easy things your firm can do to improve social media connection, engagement, and business development:
- Compelling headlines / titles: Publishing content on your blog is the first step. The second step is to promote it across all your social media channels. Create titles that will catch the attention of your target audience, front-loaded with keywords your target market searches for.
- Use hashtags: Hashtags get you found. Whenever you add a hashtag to your post, it’s indexed by the social network. It makes you discoverable by others who may share the same interest or are searching for what you have to offer.
- Calls-to-action (CTA): Include powerful words such as Join, Buy, Register, Like, Call, and other words that encourage users to take action.
- Create your content: Use your created content to showcase your expertise, intelligence, and thought leadership. Prove your firm keeps pace with the latest news and trends in the industry by publishing relevant content that sparks conversation and educates your audience.
- Share other people’s posts: Curate content from social media communities such as LinkedIn Groups, Facebook Groups, Twitter, and YouTube. Content curation is a great way to cultivate connections and share engaging content your audience finds valuable. It’s also a way to find a balance between sharing your content and others’, displaying to your followers that you respect the insight of other industry players.
- Talk about your achievements: When it comes to most industries such as retail or hospitality, consumers don’t like to be ‘sold’ while on social media; it is why marketers practice the 80/20 rule when it comes to pushing product. As a professional services firm, you can follow the same guideline. When you are posting about yourself, let your audience know about your firm’s awards and achievements. Allow them to see your expertise.
Thanks to social media, professional services firms and their practitioners have channels that keep you connected to your current clients and help you reach new ones. However, social media is more than a platform to exchange photos and ideas. When used strategically, it is a powerful tool for business development.